Church Of St Leonard

Church of St Leonard, Linley

This Grade I listed building is a 12th-century church built in two phases, with the tower being the later addition. It was restored in 1858 by Sir Arthur Blomfield.

The church is constructed of local rubble sandstone with squared blocks in the rebuilt east chancel wall, freestone dressings, and tile roofs. It comprises a nave, lower and narrower chancel, and a west tower, arranged in a plan that retains much of its original Norman character without later extension.

The exterior displays important Norman features. The south doorway, possibly repositioned when the tower was built, has simple imposts and a tympanum made up of bands of chevrons, with a studded door featuring strap hinges. The blocked north doorway is similar but its weathered tympanum shows a full-length demon emitting stylised branches. Straight-headed 2-light 19th-century windows occupy the nave—two in the south wall and one in the north. The chancel has two small Norman round-headed windows in its south and north walls, while three round-headed windows under a linked hood mould in the east wall date from the 1858 restoration.

The two-stage Norman tower has pilaster buttresses in the lower stage and a battered plinth. It features small round-headed north and south windows and a straight-headed west window, though the latter retains its original round-headed rere-arch. At the bell stage, fields are recessed beneath corbel tables on the west, north and south faces. Twin bell openings have a central column with block capital. The pyramidal roof with weathervane are 19th-century additions noted in 1855. Tie-bolts with a large plate in the north wall strengthen the east end of the nave.

Internally, the single-stepped tower arch has semi-circular responds and capitals incorporating volutes and beaded ornamental bands showing the influence of the Herefordshire school of Romanesque sculpture. The earlier chancel arch is plain on simple imposts. The chancel east window has shafted rere-arches with scalloped capitals. The nave features a boarded barrel ceiling with thin ribs on a moulded cornice, while the chancel has a canted ceiling on a moulded cornice with thin ribs and foliage bosses over the sanctuary, boarded behind. A round-headed piscina of 1858 appears in the south wall. Walls are plastered, and 19th-century tile floors throughout include encaustic tiles by Maw & Co in the sanctuary.

The principal fixtures include an important Norman tub font, similar to Morville and influenced by the Herefordshire school, with cable-moulding around the rim and medallions from which demonic masks emerge on the north side. Pews and choir stalls of 1858 have shaped ends and open backs. A polygonal wooden pulpit brought from Monkhopton in 1948 has an open arcaded front. The chancel has a panelled dado made up in 1858 from former pews. An altar triptych of cross and angels painted on board by Harry Burrows dates to around 1870. Metal commandment boards are set into the east nave wall, and nave and chancel contain iron branch candlesticks of 1862. A hatchment of Richard Lacon (died 1803) hangs in the north nave wall. In the blocked north doorway is a grave slab of Francis Anderton (died 1779) and George Johnson (died 1803), Catholic monks of Douai who died during missionary work in England. The Resurrection in the east window is by William Warrington, dated 1862.

The church was originally built in the 12th century as a chapel of Much Wenlock, with a tower added in the late 12th century. The 1858 restoration by Sir Arthur Blomfield, undertaken shortly after he established his own practice, enlarged the nave windows, rebuilt the east wall with a new window, and installed new benches. The church is no longer in regular use for worship.